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QuikTrip's new store in east Tulsa features some staggering numbers.

Take 24 soda fountains, 12 flavors of frozen drinks and 16 flavors of ice tea and lemonades — all inside 5,700 square feet of floor space.

And don't forget the expanded beverage bar with hot and cold drinks, along with the food — key parts of QuikTrip Corp.'s plan to dominate the convenience store industry.

The Tulsa chain's new store at 51st Street and 129th East Avenue has a different design, with more room and more product offerings than its other outlets have.

"The whole store is based on years of listening to customers on what they would like to see, taking their ideas and thoughts and seeing what would work," the company's spokesman Mike Thornbrugh said.

The first of four next-generation stores planned to open in the next several months, it is 1,100 square feet larger than most other QuikTrip stores.

And for the first time QuikTrip is offering soft-serve ice cream, coffees and yogurt prepared by the staff.

"We had ice cream a long time ago, but it was a disaster," Thornbrugh said. "It was a huge mess."

Now, the ice cream and coffee bar is run by two employees who serve cool treats and hot drinks.

The expanded drink selection also lets the company experiment with new concepts, such as a horchata-flavored frozen drink or a pineapple-and-papaya sweet ice tea.

The store is also testing "grab and go" foods, such as prepared pizzas, salads and lasagne that can be taken home and baked. It also has more room for roller grill items such as hot dogs and taquitos, as well as more space for prepared sandwiches and burger items.

The new layout limits parking in front of the store but adds doorways to each side, for a total of three entries.

"We're hoping to make it easier to get into the store and give more room for parking," Thornbrugh said.

Three more next-generation stores, including two in Tulsa, are under construction. One at 15th Street and Denver Avenue should open within weeks, and another in the Gilcrease Hills neighborhood is slated to be ready in late July or August. The third store will be in Independence, Kan.

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